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Adam's Rib
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Movie Info

Written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin, Adam's Rib is a peerless comedy predicated on the double standard. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn play Adam and Amanda Bonner, a husband-and-wife attorney team, both drawn to a case of attempted murder. The defendant (Judy Holliday) had tearfully attempted to shoot her husband (Tom Ewell) and his mistress (Jean Hagen). Adam argues that the case is open and shut, but Amanda points out that, if the defendant were a man, he'd be set free on the basis of "the unwritten law." Thus it is that Adam works on behalf of the prosecution, while Amanda defends the accused woman. The trial turns into a media circus, while the Bonners' home life suffers. Adam's Rib represented the film debuts of New York-based actors Jean Hagen, Tom Ewell, and David Wayne (as Hepburn's erstwhile songwriting suitor), and the return to Hollywood of Judy Holliday after her Born Yesterday triumph. One of the best of the Tracy-Hepburn efforts, it inspired a brief 1973 TV series starring Ken Howard and Blythe Danner.

Thanks to an at times sharp script, solid lead performances, and a scene stealing supporting turn by Judy Holliday, Adam's Rib is an entertaining enough film to warrant a solid review. But one of the great comedies of all time? Not even close.

Audience Reviews for Adam's Rib

A husband and wife face off in an attempted murder trial that becomes a battle of the sexes.
Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy deliver fine performances in this interesting but problematic film. The very simple facts of the case are that the accused is guilty. That's not a spoiler; that's the first scene. But Amanda's defense is that if a man is allowed to shoot his wife's lover, then a woman is allowed to shoot her husband's lover. This begs the question: is a man allowed to shoot his wife's lover? I didn't know that was an acceptable thing. Good to know. The fact that the film brings up common cultural double standards that persist is what makes the film interesting, and Tracy, I'm beginning to realize, made his career by taking roles that require his natural dignity. In the person of anyone else, Adam would seem weak and uninteresting, but Tracy's demeanor makes it difficult for any of his characters to be wholly emasculated. I'm also starting to like Judy Holliday; she plays ditzy roles that I would normally never be compelled by, but for some reason I find myself charmed.
Overall, I liked the film, but it's not without its problems.

Jim Hunter

Super Reviewer

Review to come.

Jennifer D

Super Reviewer

½

Hepburn wants to start women's liberation in 1949! She and her husband are lawyers on opposing sides of a case which involves a man and a woman, and they get into a battle of the sexes. It's funny at times, and too silly at other times. Overall, pretty good, but it could have been better.

Aj V

Super Reviewer

Great Classic movie. Kathrine and Specer and dynomite on screen together! I love watching them perform! ;) If you havent checked out this witty damadey you should!